I went to a play this past weekend with one of my best friends.  It wasn’t just any old play (although I enjoy just about any old play).  This was The Wizard of Oz, performed at the beautiful Starlight Theatre in Kansas City.  The Starlight Theatre is a gorgeous outdoor venue, and the play was spectacular.  Even a little thunderstorm couldn’t keep this show down!  Not only is The Wizard of Oz entertaining, but there are so many thought provoking moments in the story.  Today, I will write about ten life lessons from The Wizard of Oz (although there are so many more).   But first, let me tell you a bit about my lifelong love affair with this show….

As a very young child, I watched the movie with my mother when it came on television once a year.  There was just something about it.  Growing up in Kansas, the connection to our state was something special to a little girl.  The bright,  beautiful colors of Munchkinland drew me in even more.  Actually, I loved everything about it.  I loved the music, I loved the acting. Truth be known,  I can probably still recite the entire show almost word for word!

There was one part of the movie that scared the crap out of me,  every single year.  Those flying monkeys terrified me (and they still do, a little bit)!

As I grew older, my love for The Wizard of Oz never faded.  I drew my friends in to the spell of this show.  In high school, I hosted an annual Wizard of Oz party at my house…complete with Oz themed snacks!  These were simple, innocent gatherings with friends to enjoy the best movie ever.  Okay, I admit I might have been a bit of a “drama geek”, but we had so much fun at these parties.

I still laugh when I remember the year that a guy that was not really in my close circle of friends showed up to our party…beer in hand.  My friend had mentioned a party at my house, he saw all of the cars there, and he thought we were having a “real” party.  I can still see the shocked look on his face when he walked in and saw us all sitting in the family room watching  The Wizard of Oz!  Actually, we were just as shocked to see him!  He stayed for a bit and then left to find a real party.  🙂

Even after I was married with kids, and even after I had the VCR tape of the movie…I still made a habit of watching it on television every March.   Somewhere along the line, this quit happening.  Do they even show it on television anymore?

Back to the Present Day….

Did I mention that the friend that took me to the play in Kansas City was one of those same friends that attended my annual Wizard of Oz party back in high school? Yep, we are STILL friends and STILL fans!

Now that I’ve given my backstory, I’ll move on to a few lessons I’ve learned from the  Wizard of Oz!  You may interpret things differently, and that’s another thing that is so great about this show.

10 Life Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

1. You always have the power to change things. 

Dorothy always had the power to get back home, she just needed to believe.  We always have the power to change things for ourselves in our lives.

2.  The path to anywhere begins with that very first step.

Dorothy had to simply “follow the yellow brick road” and take that first step toward home.  It’s easy to stay where we are, but if we truly want to accomplish something we simply need to take that first step…no matter how small.  Baby steps will get us where we need to go.

3.  True friends are always there.

In life, you will have a few friends that will ALWAYS be there for you.  No matter the distance or years since you’ve seen them,  they are still there.

4.  You learn more if you work for things.

Even though it’s much easier to be handed the things you want in life, you learn more by working for those things.  Glinda COULD have told Dorothy the easy way to get home, by clicking her heels three times (and truthfully I was always a little pissed at her for making Dorothy go through all of that crap, ha), but she LEARNED so much more by going through the experiences on the yellow brick road.

5.  The grass isn’t always greener.

Dorothy wanted to get away from her life in Kansas..to find something better.  Of course, she soon learned that it wasn’t better at all.  I think most of us are guilty of those same feelings from time to time.  If we simply put our energy into enjoying the life that we have now,  we’ll see that the grass is just as green where we are standing.

6.  You are stronger than you think you are.

Sometimes we feel like we can’t do something, but when we step out of our comfort zone and try…its amazing how strong we are.  On that note…..

7. Never give up.

Dorothy and her friends persevered and never gave up, no matter how difficult things became.  There  were times they wanted to run away, but running away or avoidance never gets us anywhere.

8.  Don’t be afraid to show your true self.

Often we want to hide behind the curtain, and not show our true selves.  But, like the wizard..we are fine just the way we really are.

9.  It’s not where you go, it’s who you meet along the way.

Our life is truly a journey, and if we allow others to join us we will be much richer.  Even the smallest player in our life’s journey can change the course of our path. It is all part of the great life experience!

10.  There really is no place like home!

You all knew I had to put that one in there somewhere, right?  🙂   I think it speaks for itself.  We can travel, we can wine and dine, we can become rich and famous…but in the end there is no place we would rather be!

We all interpret things differently.  I’d love to hear what you have learned from this show, or other shows that have made an impact on your lives!